Typewriting machine



Oct. 25 1927.

w. A. DoBsoN TYPEWRITING MACHINE 'FiledA March 2l, 1925 3 Sheets-sheet l 1 646,952 oct. 25, 1927., W. A DOBSON TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed March 21, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wl@ @5R @du 25p H92?. W. A. @QBSDN 9 9 TYPEWRITING- MACHINE Filed March 2l, 1925 3 Sheds-Sheet 3 2. y Afm/wey Patented Oct. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A DOBSON, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A-SSIG'NOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPEWRITING .MACHINE Application filed March 21, 1923.

This invention relates to carrying cases for portable typewriting machines. Such carrying cases usually consists ot' a cover and a base to which the machine may be secured,

and to which the cover may also be locked.

Heretofore the cover has been provided with hooks that necessitated placing the cover on end on a support, after which the base was tilted to set its rear end into the hooks.

Careless handling during this tilting of the base often caused injury to the papertable or other of the carriage-parts of the machine by striking them against either the cover or its support. To overcome, this, the method of attaching the cover to the base has been changed by this invention, so that it is no longer necessary to tilt the base or lift it from its support while assembling the cover thereon.

With the cover-fastening means provided herein, the base may be set flat on a table or other support. The cover fis then grasped by the handle and tilted in back of the base with its lower rear edge resting on the table, the cover is then drawn forward over the base until its rear edge strikes the rear edge of the base, and the fastening means becomes engaged. The front of the cover is then lowered and the locking means engaged. Thus it is only necessary to use one hand in placing the cover on the base and locking it thereto. By holding the handle of the cover with only one hand, the cover may readily x5 be hooked to the base and also swung down and made to lock itself automatically to the base. In other words, the user may simply pick up the cover by its handle, both hook and lock the cover to the base, and walk l1o away with the machine in his hand, all without releasing his grasp of the handle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined locking and automatic latching means to retain the cover on the base. l f

Both the attaching means and the locking and latching means are simple in design, easily and rapidly assembled and installed, and inexpensive to manufacture, and yet are 5o extremely efficient in performing their various functions.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

ln the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a type- Serial No. 626,457.

writer-carrying case, showing the cover locking and lat-ching means attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a view of a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the means for securing the cover of the case to the rear eo end of the base.

Figure 3 is a View of a reduced crosssection on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a typewriter-carrying case, illustrating the method o5 of tilting the cover to draw it forward and assemble it on the base.

Figure 5 is a detail rear View of a small section of the base of a typewriter-carrying case, showing means for securing the cover To thereto.

Figure 6 is a front elevation ot a portion of a typewriter-carrying case, showing the cover partly closed over the base, and showing the front escutcheon of the lock removed T5 to disclose the lock mechanism.

Figure 7 is a front elevation, similar to Figure 6, showing the cover fully closed and latched.

Figure 8 is a view of a cross-section on the S0 line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a front elevation, similar to Figure' 6, showing the cover fully closed, latched and locked.

Figure l0 is a View of a cross-section on 85 the line 1010 of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a perspective view'of all of the parts which make up the locking means for the cover of a typewriter-carrying case, showing the method of assembling them in the cover.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the rear escutcheon of the lock, which indicates the manner in which parts of the lock are assembled thereon. 9a

Figure 13 is a plan view ot the la,tchactu ating knob.

Figure 14 is a side elevation of the lat-chactuating knob, showing the head in section. y A typewriter 15, having a carriage 16, is too fastened in a case 17, which is made up of a base 18 fitted with feet 19, and a cover 2O tted with a handle 21. Corner-'pieces 22 may be fastened in the corners ot the cover 20 to act as stops to limit the distance that 105 the cover 20 may be pushed over the base 18. 1n the rear edge of the base 18 are recesses 23, which extend from the top surface to the bottom surface of the base 18, where they join adjacent concave recesses 24, in the loot- 11o tom surface, as shown in Figures 2 and'5. Fastened in the recesses 23, by means of screws 25, are wear-plates 26 having bottom edges 27 inclined and transversely concaved to registerwith the concave recesses 24 into which they extend. Rivets 28 hold strips or lingers 29 in position on the lower'inside edge of the back of the cover 20 at points adjacent to the wear-plates 26. Prongs or detents 30, formed on the lower ends of the strips 29, are bent inwardly and inclined to engage the wearlates 26, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. A ight is thus formed by thc inclined prongs or detents and the cornerpieces 22.

In assembling, the base is placed flat on la table as shown 1n Figure 4. With its for.- ward edge uptilted and its lower rear edge resting on the support as shown in Figure 4, the cover 20 is grasped by its handle 21 and drawn forward over the typewriter and `the base 18 until the prongs or detents 39 are engaged with the wear-plates 26. When. the cover is lowered, the lrear edge of the base 18 will be firmly held or wedged between the lower ends of the corner-pieces 22 and the prongs or detents 30, due to the inclines.

'The concaves eect a centering of the prongs while guiding them to wedging position.

The front of the cover has an opening 31 in its lower edge, as shown in Figure 11, in which is positioned a combined locking and automaticlatching means 32, having a front escutcheon 33 and a rear escutcheon 34, connected by shouldered rivets 35 that pass through holes 36 in the escutcheons 33 and 34 and the cover 20. Located on the vertical axis of the front escutcheon 33, near its top edge is an opening 37 into which is fitted the shouldered front end of a barrel 38. The lower edge of the opening 37 has a slot 39 depending therefrom to allow a bit 40 of a key 41 to pass into the barrel 38. The lower edge of the front escutcheon 33 is bent backwardly to form a bottom 42, and upwardly to form an upstanding edge 43, in back of which the lower edge of the rear escutcheon 34- isconfined when assembled on the cover 20.' In the bottom 42 of the front escutcheon 33 is the head 44 of a T-shaped slot- 45, the long 4leg 46 of which extends upwardly into the upstanding edge 43, as shown in Figure 11. The front edge of the base 18 is provided with a wear-plate 47, fastened in place by screws 48,` and serving as a support in which is fastened a latch-pin 49, which has a head and a shank 51, which, during the latching operation, enter the head 44 and the long leg 46, respectively, of the T-shaped slot 45. The rear escutcheon 34 has an opening 52 on its vertical axis, near its top edge, corresponding with the opening 37 in the front escutcheon 33, to receive the other shouldered end of the barrel 38. To the left of, and approximately midway between. the

opening 52 and the top edge ofthe rear es cutcheon 34 is another opening 53 to receive a flat-headed rivet 54, on which is pivoted a latch 55. Near its free end the latch 55 is provided with-a limit-slot 56, which' permits sidewise movement of the latch 55 on a flatheaded limit-pin '57. Just above the limitslot 56, the latch 55 is provided with an oflset pin 58, on which is seated a spring 59, which holds the latchv55 in latching position. The free end of the latch 55 is provided with an open slot designed to receive the shank 51 of the latch-pin 49. A hook 61, formed on the free end of the latch 55 by the open slot 60, serves to prevent upward movement of the cover 20 from the base 18 when the latch 55 is in latching position, and an inclined face 62, on the Afront or open side of the hook 61, provides an automatic-displacin means for the latch 55 when the cover 20 is owered to osition on the base 18. In the back or close part of the hook 61, opposite the open slot 60, is a tapped hole 63 into which is screwed the threaded end 64 of a latch-operating pin 65. The shank 66 of the operating pin passes through an operating slot 67 in the front escutcheon 33, and terminates in a thumb-nut 68 which is provided with a corrugated concave face 69.

When it is desired to merely latch the cover 20 without locking it, the various parts of 'the locking and latching means 32, already described, are in the positions shown in Figure 7 To open the case, it is only required to move the thumb-nut 68 to the right, which will move the latch 55 in corresponding direction a ainst the tension of the s ring 59 and there y disengage the hook 61 From the latch-pin 49.

To lock the cover 2O in closed position on the base 18, the locking and latching means 32 is provided with a bolt 70 movably mounted in a bolt-case 71. The bolt-case 71 is provided with anchor-lugs 72, which are seated in corresponding anchor-lug slots 73 in the rear escutcheon 34. An opening in the bottom of the bolt-case 71, at 74, permits free passage of the bolt 70, and a stop 75, adjacent to the opening at 74, is designed to vengage a long notch 76, near the lower end of the bolt 70, which terminates in a shoulder 77. The shoulder 77 abutting against the stop serves to limit the down- Ward movement of the bolt 70. Another long notch 78, near the upper end of the bolt 70, terminating in a shoulder 79, engages a stop formed on the inside of the frontface of the bolt-case 71. The shoulder 79 abutting against the stop 80 serves to limit the upward movement of the bolt 70. The

stops 75. and 80 engaging the long sides of the notches 76 and 78 also serve to hold the opposite side of the bolt 70 against the barrel 38, S9 that the bit 40 .O f the .key 41 and away from the cover-wall which carriesv the prong or detent to cause said base-board will register with shoulders 81 and 82 of a key-notch 83 in the bolt 70. The bolt-case 7l is cut away at 84 to give free passage to the key-bit 40. Just below this cut at 84: on the bolt-case 71 is a pin 85 to receive the other end of the spring 59 which holds the latch 55 in latching position. In' the side of the bolt 70, opposite the key-notch 83, are two tumbler-notches 86 and 87 to receive a detent 88 on a tumbler 89, which', in the preferred form, is made ofa leaf-spring.

To lock the cover 2O after latching it, with the part-s of the locking and latching means 32 positioned as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings, the key 4l is inserted in the barrel 38 and turned to the right. The bit 40 strikes the shoulder 82 of the key-notch 83 and forces the bolt downwardly until a notch 90 near its lower end engages a flat surface 91 on the latch 55, thus preventing movement of the thumb-nut 68 to release the latch 4:9 from the hook 61. The parts will then be in the positions shown in Figure 9. 'll` his action will release the detent 88 of the tumbler 89 from the tumbler-notch 87 and seat it in the tumbler-notch 86, in which position it will tend to restrain all movement of the bolt 70, except that imparted by the key 421.

Turning the `key 4:1 to the left will bring the bit 4:() into engagement with the shoulder 81 of the key-'notch 83, and will force the bolt 70 upwardly to release the latch 55 and restore the parts to the latching position shown in Figure 7.

No claim is made herein to features disclosed in the senior application of George W. Campbell, Serial No. 380,486, led May i1, 1920.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used withoutothers.

Having thus described my invention, ll claim:

. 1. A casing for a typewriting machine, including a base-board and a cover-portion; the covenportion having a prong or detent on the lower edge of the inside face of one wall thereof, and the base-board having a recess in one edge of the lower face thereof to receive and guide said prong or detent when the cover-portion in set in inclined position over the machine on the base-board support and moved forward to the recessed edge of the base-board, said prong or-detent and recess being inclined downward to be wedged between said prong or detent and the cover.

Q. A casing for a typewriting machine, including a base-board and a cover-portion; the cover-portion having a linger attached to the inner face of one wall thereof and terminating in an odset and inclined tooth or detent, and the base-board having a wearpiece fixed t9 one edge thereof, said wearplcce including an offset and inclined portion seated in a recess in the lower face of the base-board; said wearing piece being positioned to register with and guide the tooth or detent on the cover when the cover is set on the base-board support at an incline over the machine and is drawn to the recessed edge of the base-board, the inclined portions of the tooth or detent and the weariece cecting a wedging of said wear-piece. etween said tooth or detent and the cover.

3. A casing for a typewriting machine, including a base-board and a cover-portion; the cover-portion having a finger attached to the inner face of one Wall thereof and terminating in an odset and inclined tooth or detent, and the base-board having a wearpiece fixed to one edge thereof, said wearpiece including an odset and inclined portion seated in a recess in the lower face of the base-board; said inclined portion being transversely concave, the inclines of said tooth or detent and said recess in the baseboard being in a direction downward and away from the wall of the cover which carries the tooth or detent, said wear-piece being positioned to register with and guide the `tooth or detent on the cover when the cover is set on the hase-board support at an incline over the machine and is drawn to said wear-piece, the inclines being edective to cause a wedging of said wear-piece between said tooth or detent and the cover, and the 'concave edecting a centering of said tooth or detent on said wear-piece.

4. A casing for a typewriting machine, including a baseboard and a detachable cover therefor, the baseboard having a plu- 105 rality of recesses adjacent the lower rear edge thereof, said recesses including undercut portions sloping upwardly and rear-v wardly on the lower face of the baseboard,

wear-plates, each having an upright portion secured to the baseboard and a downwardlysloping portion fitting into said recesses and undercut portions, and downwardly-sloping teeth or detents rigidly secured to the inner face of the rear wall of the cover, said teeth and the recesses being edective to wedge the baseboard between the cover and said teeth upon the cover being drawn forwardly in a manner to cover baseboard.

5. lln a casing for a typewriting machine, a baseboard and a detachable cover therefor, the base/board having a central depression therein providing an upstanding ledge around the perimeter thereof for positioning the machine, the rear edge of the base 125 board having a plurality of recesses, undercut portions sloping upwardly and rearwardly on the lower face of the baseboard communicating vwith said recesses, wearplates, each having an upright portion and 130 a downwardly-sloping portion tting into said recesses'and undercut portions, respectively, and downwardly-sloping teeth or detents rigidly secured to the inner face of the rear wall of the cover to interlock with said undercut portions, and corner-pieces in each ofthe corners ofthe cover, so that upon the cover being drawn forwardly and at an angle over the baseboard for the teeth or detents to interlock with the undercut p0rtions, the corner-pieces will rest on the upstnnding ledge, the two rear cornerieces coacting with the detents to firmly grip the rear edge ofthe baseboard.

6. In a casingfor a typewriting malchine, having a base-board and a cover, in combination, means on the lower inside edge of one wall of said cover to fasten .said edge to the opposing edge of said base-board, said fastening means comprising duplicate prongs or detents to en age adjacent rc cesses in said opposing ge of said baseboard, and stops placed in the corners of said cover, said prongs or detents co-operating with said stops to clamp said opposing edge of said base-board between them, a latch-pin on the opposite edge of said baseboard, and means on the op osite wall of said cover for engaging said atch pin.

7. A casing for a portable typewriting machine, including a base-board, having recesses in the rear edge of its under face, the front walls of the recesses inclined downwardly and forwardly, and a cover-portion havin prongs on the lower edge of the inside tace of its rear wiall, the front surfaces of the prongs inclined downwardly and forwardly, engaging the inclined surfaces of the recesses.

WILLIAM A. DOBSON. 

